1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a vehicle seat arranging structure, and more specifically to a vehicle seat arranging structure with which vehicle seats are arranged appropriately.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle seat arranging structures of this type are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-109746 (JP-A-109746) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-215113 (JP-A-215113).
According to JP-A-9-109746, a driver's seat and a passenger's seat are arranged next to each other in the vehicle-width direction, and the driver's seat is allowed to swivel inward in the vehicle-width direction by a swiveling mechanism.
According to JP-7-215113, a second-row driver-side seat and a second-row passenger-side seat are arranged behind a driver's seat and a passenger's seat, respectively, and third-row seats are arranged behind the second-row driver-side seat and the second-row passenger-side seat. According to JP-7-215113, the second-row driver-side seat and the second-row passenger-side seat are allowed to swivel around to face the third-row seats.
In the example described in JP-A-9-109746, the driver's seat is allowed to swivel inward in the vehicle-width direction by the swiveling mechanism. This structure is designed in order to have a driver take a good rest in the passenger compartment, but the relationship between occupants seated in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat is not taken into account in designing this structure.
In the example described in JP-7-215113, the second-row driver-side seat and the second-row passenger-side seat may be swiveled around to face the third-row seats. However, the second-row driver-side seat and the second-row passenger-side seat are allowed to be only in the frontward-oriented positions, at which these seats face the front of the vehicle, or the rearward-oriented positions, at which these seats face the rear of the vehicle, and the relationship between occupants seated in the second-row driver-side seat and the second-row passenger-side seat is not taken into account in designing this structure.